Review: ‘How I Met Your Mother’ – ‘Vesuvius’

I know I got out of the weekly “How I Met Your Mother” review business, but I said I would make exceptions for episodes that were notably very good or very bad. We got one of those two tonight, and I have a review of it coming up just as soon as my old friend Mr. Lincoln emancipates that information…

Because I'm putting my kids to bed when primetime begins, I virtually never watch “HIMYM” live anymore, and by the time I get out my laptop to watch, Twitter is already asking me leading questions about each episode. In a season like this, the advantage is that I get early warning if an episode is going to be especially dire – or, on occasions like “Platonish,” early enticement to watch and surprisingly enjoy myself. It also means I've gotten spoiled from time to time…

… and in the case of “Vesuvius,” I think being spoiled on what's happening with the Mother is the only thing preventing me from having a volcanic eruption of my own. I had a half-hour to brace myself for perhaps the most misguided decision in the history of a show that has made many terrible decisions over the years, and thus was spared the “Oh, for the love of God, really?!?!?!” reaction I am positive I would have had if I had seen things unfold live.

Now, I know that “The Mother is dead in 2030, and Ted winds up with Robin, and this is why all of Ted's stories to his kids have been about his obsession with a woman who is not their mother” has been one of many fan theories floating around for years. I always dismissed it because I couldn't imagine that Bays and Thomas – who, for all the flaws of the show's later years, have had a fairly steady hand when it comes to romance (or, at least, romance unrelated to Robin and Barney) – being foolish enough to do it.

Why would they think it was a good idea to keep the audience waiting for seven seasons to get a look at the woman of Ted Mosby's dreams, to then sprinkle enough of her through this final season to make us fall for her too (and be annoyed that they're not using her much more than they are), and then right as the present-day story is closing in on the moment of the eponymous meeting, tell us that in the not-too-distant future, the Mother is going to get sick and die?(*) Why would they think it was wise to drag out the happy ending and then tell us that it's all headed for tragedy?

(*) I also got some confused tweets – plus a very concerned text from a cousin who has never felt the need to text me regarding anything about TV – wondering what the implication of the framing sequence is. Short version: the Mother is worried that after she's gone, Ted will get too lost in stories of their past together to actually live a life (and maybe find a new woman), and when she mentions the idea of a mother missing her daughter's wedding, it hits Ted that she won't live long enough to see their own daughter's. It's possible that things will change in the remaining flashforwards, but the implication was very strong that in the not-too-distant future, before Future Ted's voice turns into Bob Saget's, the Mother will develop a fatal illness.

Look, I understand that this is a show that has had dark moments, like the death of Marshall's father, or Stella jilting Ted at the altar, or Robin's infertility. But they were not the point of the entire series. The show is not about the elder Marvin Eriksen enjoying a long life helping Marshall and Lily raise little baby Marvin. It's not about Stella. It's not about Robin's kids – unless we really are heading for a conclusion where Cobie Smulders is in old age makeup as the kids' stepmom. The show is about putting Ted on a journey where he is going to meet this woman who's going to make it all better, and instead, their time together looks like it'll only last slightly longer than the Mother's time with the boyfriend who died in the 200th episode. It's not technically a cheat on the series' title – the show's not called “How I Got To Spend Decade After Decade With Your Mother” – but it's a violation of the spirit of the law, if not the letter. It's a dark, misguided turn in a show not built for it.

You can point to the Mother's own backstory as a reminder that love isn't eternal, tragedy strikes, all this has happened before, and all of it will happen again, and time is a flat circle, and THEY REALLY THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA?

It could be a bit of misdirection (which would be cheesy in the extreme, but at least would undo this stupidity), or it could be that what we saw tonight is exactly what it is, and the moment when we finally get the kids' reaction to the story of their parents' meeting will be bittersweet rather than comic(**), and maybe Future Ted will be with Future Robin. (Presumably, she and Ted could hook up after Barney dies in a magic show explosion, and it'll be slightly less gross than if she and Barney simply split.) Or maybe Ted is just a sad single guy in the year 2030, and this is why the kids have been indulging him, even as his stories had virtually nothing to do with their mother and everything to do with a series of annoying women he banged.

(**) And, if so, it would mean that Bays and Thomas knew all along they were going to end the show this way, since they filmed the kids' reaction back in season 1 before the actors got too big.

I know watching a series is much more about the journey than the destination, but the journey's been pretty crummy for several years, and the only thing offering hope was the destination, as represented so well by Cristin Milioti in all these flashforwards and flashbacks. But if we're barreling not for a happy ending, but something sad, and/or something that renders the Mother as a footnote in the story of Ted's life? Well, even given my lowered expectations for this final season, that's awful.

What did everybody else think? Were you moved by this twist of the story, or annoyed that the entire series has been building to this? Did the clips of “The Wedding Bride Too” make you laugh with all the references to past episodes, or did Chris Kattan only underline Ted's more irritating qualities? Did you like the casting of Tracey Ullman as Robin's estranged mother? Or were you so surprised the writers remembered Robin's sister existed that nothing else in the episode mattered?

UPDATE: Woke up to many comments and tweets from people insisting that Ted gets upset because his mother died before their wedding – or that Robin is dying or has died. That's not it. There are multiple clues pointing very strongly towards Cristin Milioti's character being ill: 1)She tells Ted she's worried about him getting lost in his own stories, suggesting she won't be around to help pull him out. 2)When the gang observes that this day may be the last one they spend together for a long time, Ted in the future begins talking about how you deal with something like that, and the Mother finishes the sentence for him, suggesting you just don't talk about it and enjoy the time you have. 3)When the Mother suggests that no mom would voluntarily miss her daughter's (daughter's, not child's) wedding, Ted begins to cry, and the Mother does not apologize as if she has made a faux pas by bringing up a bad thing that happened to him in the past. It's something that's happening to her right now.

There is still time for the show to pull out of this, and perhaps reveal that Mr. and Mrs. Mosby are preparing for a worst-case scenario that doesn't come to pass, but the show was very strongly trying to imply that when they are at the Farhampton Inn on that snowy future day, it's with the belief that they have very little time left together.

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I was about to stop reading to go experience the horrifying shock myself (it couldn’t possibly be THAT bad). But then I read it by mistake. I feel ill. In all of the horrifying directions this show could have gone, I can’t believe this is the one they chose. I actually don’t know if I’m going to watch this episode or the rest of the season. I actually might be sick.

By: Jake

03.04.2014 @ 3:04 AM

Do we know that Barney and Robin actually get married? I can’t even remember that,

By: Mark S.

03.04.2014 @ 3:21 AM

We know Robin and Barney got married from last episode. They had their wedding rings in their flash forward.

By: pamelajaye

03.04.2014 @ 3:22 AM

I’mmore than an hour late getting her due to Switched at Birth and injured ducks in my bathroom and dinner, but

REALLY???
Isn’t there supposed to be a Paley panel for the finale? Are the creators planning to show up in Body Armor ??
Cause they just beat Kim yelled JD she miscarried his baby by….continents.
I was hoping there was someone to scream to, here, but… did everyone already bail?

Confused from my rapid skim. Alan, have you seen the finale or were you spoiled on *this* episode?
(I’ve lost track of why anyone woud think Robin married Ted but I keep thinking she bailed on marrying Barney. I forget why.)

By: Luke

03.04.2014 @ 8:11 AM

I totally understand those who feel like Alan and Jamie here.

I also think the following linked comment (not made by me) at the AV Club makes a pretty compelling case for how the mother dying could actually be the opposite of a disastrous storyline: [www.avclub.com]

By: scoopie77

03.04.2014 @ 2:58 PM

I usually read the recaps rather than watching the show. Whoa….The showrunners are such jerks.

By: Shannon

03.04.2014 @ 3:04 AM

I can’t believe they would do this. It’s a complete violation of the spirit of this show (or at least what this show used to be).

And I definitely can’t buy that they planned this from the beginning; the tone of the previous glimpses of the kids and the voiceovers does not align with this tragic ending at all.

By: jenfullmoon

03.04.2014 @ 4:37 PM

Unfortunately, this fan theory has been around long enough that they probably did. I was hoping they would be sensible enough not to do it, but I guess they did.

Ugh.

By: ChampSkins

03.04.2014 @ 3:04 AM

I rarely watch the show with much attention anymore, and it’s merely background noise as I just want to see the finish since I have been here since the beginning. So yea, I kinda missed everything you just went over. I simply tuned out the last 5 minutes or so and chalked it up to being another dumb, unfunny episode.

By: Darkdoug

03.04.2014 @ 8:34 AM

Ha! Me too. Except I was playing solitaire on the computer. That’s how low it has sunk – Solitaire on Windows XP is more engrossing than the latest episode of HIMYM.

By: Brian S

03.04.2014 @ 11:13 AM

Ditto! I just read Alan’s review this morning and thought I watched an entirely different episode last night. Guess I wasn’t paying any attention at all. I’ll watch it again later today so that I can get royally pissed off.

By: Swayne Mendoza

03.04.2014 @ 3:06 PM

Same general neighborhood as you. My spouse (who bailed during the Stella arc) thought it would be nice if we watched the last month of shows. I (lasted till Zoey) said OK, but got bored when it was clear that the “A” plot was “Alyson Hannigan being angry nobody responds the way she thinks they should and trying to manipulate them into it” and the “B” plot was “Arbitrary Barney OCD rules schtick”.

I wasn’t paying attention until the S.O. started screaming and cursing. I was here to check if she had misinterpreted it. Guess not.

This would really suck if I cared about the show.

By: Keith

03.04.2014 @ 3:06 AM

I agree about the ending, and if Carter and Bays planned this from the start then I feel like Luke and Penny should have been more emotional to the story. Regardless your right if this 9 years was the story of Ted meeting his soul mate just to spend a very small portion of his life with her it changes the whole series for me.

All I’m holding onto is its a misdirection, but I fear not.

By: duckydan

03.04.2014 @ 3:08 AM

I can’t say I was shocked when they hinted once again that the mother was dying. They hinted it last year when Ted started mentioning that he wished he had just a few more seconds with the mother at the end of the episode. I get why some people don’t like the idea but I actually do since it makes sense why the kids are sitting there listening to the story this entire time. I still don’t buy that he ends up with Robyn in the end but if the mother is dead it’s likely she’s involved a lot which would also explain why she’s featured in a lot of his stories.

By: Steve594

03.04.2014 @ 6:25 AM

Didn’t Ted explain to the kids in the Pilot that that was how he met their “Aunt” Robin? Wouldn’t make sense to call their stepmom that if that were the case

By: Darkdoug

03.04.2014 @ 8:36 AM

Unless they are so hung up on the perfection of St. Mother that no one could replace her and so Ted’s new wife is merely “aunt”, because no one else could ever be “mom”.

By: Christina Aldrich

03.04.2014 @ 2:10 PM

STEVE594 Calling Robin “Aunt” could also mean that she’s just close to them, not necessarily married to their dad. It’s common for kids to call close friends of their parents “Aunt” and “Uncle”.

By: scoopie77

03.04.2014 @ 3:00 PM

You’re exactly right. That episode was one of the saddest things I’ve seen …his narration had so much pathos.

But isn’t it kind of a jerk move to tell kids a long story about someone who’s not their mother?

By: Steve594

03.04.2014 @ 5:40 PM

CHRISTINA yes that’s the point. Obviously she’s not literally their aunt, but no one in history has ever referred to their stepmom as “Aunt”

By: Deborah

03.04.2014 @ 6:59 PM

I also like it a great deal. (Unless he is with Robin after all, which I don’t believe for a second and don’t see any evidence for.)

It’s a very poignant ending, where the years of stories about small funny things have this very different weight, now, when Ted views them as leading up to the moment he met the woman he loved so much. I don’t find it tragic.

By: Tiger Jean

03.06.2014 @ 12:58 PM

I’m not sold on Ted being married to Robin in the future, but the kids could absolutely be calling their stepmom “Aunt” if they were old enough when their mother died to have been calling her that all along.

Or perhaps Robin and Ted are just *now* getting married, having had enough time for Ted to get over his loss and get his dead wife’s permission (as she did when she wanted to move on) and the kids have been calling her Aunt Robin all these years.

By: HWah

03.04.2014 @ 3:08 AM

Well, if Robin becomes the stepmother, I guess we can figure out what Ted thinks of stepmother by the conclusion he voiced over stating that Robin never became a pole vaulter, or however that was phrased.

Please show, I’ve been hoping for an ending that didn’t piss me off for having watched the last two years of dreck waiting for a good ending, not necessarily all are happy, but good.

I’ve put up with manipulation for awhile, expecting more. Don’t just try to manipulate me to an emotional ending.

By: HistoryofMatt

03.04.2014 @ 3:11 AM

I’m sorry if I helped to spoil this for you Alan.

Or I guess, you’re welcome that I spoiled this for you?

Either way… I spent last 9 years of my life watching this show, helping to will it off of the cancellation bubble it sat on for 3 years…

… and THIS is how Carter Bays and Craig Thomas repay me and everyone else who did the same?

F–k those guys. Seriously… f–k those guys and this giant con they’ve been pulling on us for 9 years.

I’m am so pissed-off as to be actually sick with anger.

Not even Lost ended this poorly.

F–k Bays and Thomas.

By: Elazar Fine

03.04.2014 @ 3:11 AM

Not so sure that that is definitely where they are headed with this. The future segments of this episode could just have been Ted and The Mother as an old happy couple reminiscing about their youth and their friends. For now, I’d like to hang on to the possibility that Bayes and Thomas aren’t THAT ridiculously stupid.

By: HIMYM Fan

03.04.2014 @ 3:16 AM

What if this is all just a set up to make for a cheerful ending in 2030? What if, there was a moment where he thought he would lose the mother, but she pushed through and survived or whatever and it ends on a happy ending. I feel like that would be the kind of twist they would make. Set everyone up to think she’s dead in the future, and then bam she’s actually alive?

Or maybe his mother just died before his wedding… that was the hint I first got, until I rewatched it.

By: Nook

03.04.2014 @ 3:31 AM

That is what I thought they were alluding to as well. That Ted’s mother had die before his wedding.

I guess I need to re-watch the episode again.

By: rugman11

03.04.2014 @ 3:35 AM

That would be so much worse, though. That’s the kind of twist you can pull off over a season, but not over four episodes. You don’t just get to drop a bomb like this at the end of episode 19 and then take it all back in episode 22.

By: james

03.04.2014 @ 3:41 AM

I thought it was about Ted’s mother dying too. Certainly not going to re-watch it though.

By: ptxfanglitch14

03.04.2014 @ 4:15 AM

I dont think it is about ted’s mother dying because if i remember correctly, the mother says that no mother could ever miss their DAUGHTER’S wedding. I believe it is the mother that gets sick and dies, however to be honest with you, i watched this show from pilot episode til now and im actually glad it is almost over. It is sad that the mother will die especially if we hardly see her. We have been waiting 9 years to know who she was. It is sad that she dies but you know what? It is sad that you all are getting pissed because theseason finale may not be to your liking. Im okay with the ending, however sad it is. It is about time the series ended as well.

By: .nexx

03.04.2014 @ 2:32 PM

at 1st i also thought that the mother of ted died before ted’s wedding..

then i thought. maybe the wife is referring to ted as the “daughter” coz ted can sometimes be a girly in his own way. just maybe..

but my thought is very unlikely to happen and maybe i’am just trying to get a loophole to make the mother of the kids not to die in the ending of himym

By: chairthrower

03.04.2014 @ 3:06 PM

The scene took place in 2024. The talk with the kids takes place in 2030. That’s enough time for the Mother to have just been diagnosed, run through a course of treatment, and Ted and the kids be waiting for the 5 year “all clear” results. And it’s exactly the sort of raw emotional place that Ted would be at that moment.

By: dezbot

03.04.2014 @ 6:19 PM

I hope you’re right, Chairthrower. The other ending just pisses me off thinking about it. Grrr!

By: Tausif Khan

03.04.2014 @ 6:30 PM

Ted has a sister

By: jenfullmoon

03.04.2014 @ 6:35 PM

I’m hoping chairthrower is right, or maybe this is the world’s longest story that Ted is telling to distract the kids while she goes through surgery or something.

By: HistoryofMatt

03.04.2014 @ 3:22 AM

Also… it must be said… while this episode definitely demands an Angry Dan rant, it’s nice to see that even mild-mannered Alan can Hulk-out, a la Bruce Banner on the Helicarrier when presented with an infuriating analogous middle finger from the likes of Bays and Thomas.

By: Brendan Noel

03.04.2014 @ 3:51 AM

This is kind of my inner dilemma…I like the frequent check ins with Angry Dan, but at this rate maybe I just want him to be wound up for the rest of the month and then just let him have one big rant after the finale. Preferably on video so we can see his literal middle fingers to Bays and Thomas.

By: HistoryofMatt

03.04.2014 @ 4:05 AM

This is SO going on my blog!!!

By: scoopie77

03.04.2014 @ 3:02 PM

I was thinking the very same thing!

By: Steve

03.04.2014 @ 3:25 AM

I say this in all seriousness: It’s somewhat incredible that they managed to ruin a Swarley callback for Alan. He’s only been asking for one for like 7 years.

And since nothing was ever made explicit, I hope there’s a cheap and lame cop-out here. Maybe there’s a way they do this well, but I don’t have any faith in them.

I also think there’s no way Robin ends up with Ted, but then, I would have said before tonight there’s no way the Mother dies, so…whatever.

By: jenfullmoon

03.04.2014 @ 6:56 PM

Can I ask where Alan has the idea that Ted and Robin are together in 2030? I just don’t see at the moment where he got that conclusion from just because the mother might be dead.

By: Buzz

03.04.2014 @ 3:25 AM

Well if she’s actually dead, it would be a fitting ending to a show that died creatively many, many years ago.

Having said that, all this came as a surprise while reading your review, Alan. I took it as if Ted’s mom died before his wedding… but now I see the hints dropped during the episode and it makes more sense for the mother to be dying instead of Ted’s mom being dead.

By: Buzz

03.04.2014 @ 3:38 AM

And my misinterpretation of whose dead or died or will die was mainly because as mentioned by someone else above, I half-watch the show nowadays. it’s more of background noise but i guess I’ll be re-watching this one and actually pay attention the second time around.

By: HitFix User

03.04.2014 @ 4:49 AM

Yes that was exactly my interpretation too, that it was about Ted’s mother, and not “The Mother.” But I guess that could be what that scene portends? It also was set six years ahead of Ted telling his kids the story, so how terminal could she be six years before the telling of the story? I guess it’s possible she dies like 2025/6 and then Ted tells the story 4-5 years later. But that feels weird too.

I agree also that the early seasons of the kids were not somber enough to be a retelling of their dead mother meeting Ted.

So yeah, I’d be pretty angry if this is how they end the series.

By: Drake

03.04.2014 @ 3:27 AM

I will be very upset if the Mother is dead by 2030. It doesn’t track with the show’s optimistic tone, and it doesn’t seem to track with what 2030 Ted has told his children so far. And it makes how mean the kids were to Ted in Seasons 1 and 2 very odd, if their mother had only died a few years earlier and they had never heard the story of how they met (and this was back when Ted’s story had not already taken up almost a decade of real time). I think the writers are trolling us.

Or at least that’s what I hope. There was only one thing I DIDN’T want to happen in the final season. The revelation that the “the Mother died” theory is true. The absence of Bob Saget’s narration to spell things out seems to indicate a red herring. I won’t believe it until the show confirms it.

By: Tiger Jean

03.06.2014 @ 1:08 PM

While the show is generally upbeat, I don’t know if I’d truly call it optimistic. People die, Ted’s been left at the altar and heartbroken time and time again, Marshal has been made to feel like he and his son are a consolation prize, Lilly has admitted that she sometimes regrets having a child, Robin has severe Daddy issues (as does Lilly) and let’s not even get into how messed up Barney has been all these years…

I can totally see the show ending with a death.

By: JT

03.04.2014 @ 3:27 AM

could this not be that Ted is broken up that HIS mother didn’t make it to their wedding?

By: Tiger Jean

03.06.2014 @ 1:05 PM

That scene is like 10 years after Ted and The Mother’s wedding. How upset could he be after all that time? “Sad look” upset, I would think, not “break down in tears like it just happened this morning” upset.

By: Lazycrockett

03.04.2014 @ 3:28 AM

Honestly if they are actually going down this road I would have been majorly pissed if i HADN’T stopped caring bout these character years ago.

By: Molly

03.04.2014 @ 3:28 AM

If they end it this way, it’s just lazy. Instead of having an actual funny finale they have to all of a sudden turn this show into a tragedy? Whey? Just so they can manipulate people into thinking it’s good because it makes them cry?

Also, if my mother died and by father decides to tell me a story that was 95% him sleeping with other women and 5% stories about my mother, I’m pretty sure I would pinch him in his face and never ever speak to him again.

By: jenfullmoon

03.04.2014 @ 6:57 PM

“TMI, Dad, TMI.”

By: tejo14

03.04.2014 @ 3:28 AM

As that scene played out – my first thought “I need to go see what Alan thinks of that”. I cannot believe that they are going there. I know there will be complaints about how shows end, but this would be a slap in the face for all the bad years I stuck with this show.

By: Lemur

03.04.2014 @ 3:30 AM

It’s so ridiculous that it didn’t even cross my mind till I read this post. Def thought Ted was just talking about his own mother dying, which I thought was weird

By: Murraypalooza

03.04.2014 @ 3:32 AM

Looks like the reviewers are doing exactly what the title of the episode’s namesake did back in the day: blowing their tops in volcanic fashion. :)

By: Ian

03.04.2014 @ 3:34 AM

Huh, if it happens I don’t really have a problem with it. How is it that big a betrayal? Ted finds his love. He has two kids and 10+ years together. Why does it need to be forever? Is it less valid a hunt?

I also think it might validate the stories. Why are Marshall, Lily, Barney, and Robin so important? Because they are family.

Anyway, I don’t get the hate.

By: Fin Alyn

03.04.2014 @ 4:34 AM

Because they aren’t his kids family, they are his, so it makes the 9 years of stories about not meeting the mother even more self-absorbed and vainglorious than was previously thought.

By: Luke

03.05.2014 @ 4:47 AM

Future Ted has referred to Marshall/Barney as Uncle and Lily/Robin as Aunt which suggests that they are family to the his kids.

By: srpad

03.04.2014 @ 3:35 AM

I completely misread the ending it seems. I thought Ted getting sad was implying his own Mother doesn’t live to see his wedding…

By: srpad

03.04.2014 @ 3:39 AM

The more i think about it, the more I think I’m right unless I missed something more specific that was said in the show.

By: GRubi User

03.04.2014 @ 5:05 AM

This is the interpretation I had and The Mother is Dead theory didn’t even cross my mind. But, as other commenters have pointed out, Cristin Milloti’s last line supports the theory that she is dying. She says “a mother could never miss her DAUGHTER’S wedding,” and then Ted starts weeping, implying that she will miss her daughter’s wedding.

By: Col Bat Guano

03.04.2014 @ 6:24 AM

Also, as Alan mentioned in the review, the mother is telling him not to get lost in his stories, implying she won’t be around to stop him. One other hint was Ted’s “We finally made it to being an old married couple.” as if that outcome was in doubt.

By: srpad

03.04.2014 @ 4:48 PM

I could be wrong but Ted being excited about being an “Old Married Couple”while still relatively young just sounds like a very Ted thing to be. I didn’t read it as anything more than that.

At its heart this series is romantic comedy, I can’t imagine the creators want people to walk away from it feeling sad. The whole theory that the Mom was no longer alive never seemed credible to me. I guess that’s why it never even occurred to me as an interpretation of this episode until I read about it here.

By: Meg

03.04.2014 @ 3:37 AM

I almost didn’t even think of it, but my husband turned to me and said, “wait–why is Ted crying”? when the Mother made her comment about missing weddings. Then I responded “No… NO. NO!” and he was all confused. I had to explain the big theory to him (he’s not all up on TV message boards like his dork wife) and he said “That is the worst idea I’ve ever heard, it can’t be true.”

I envy his innocence, but the last time I uttered the words “that is the worst idea I’ve ever heard, it can’t be true!” it was in response to the idea that the entire last season would take place over the wedding weekend…and we all know what happened there.

By: thejoshbaker

03.04.2014 @ 3:37 AM

Maybe I’m completely wrong, but my first blush reaction to that exchange between Ted and The Mother was that Ted’s mother died before Ted’s wedding. It didn’t even cross my mind that it could be foreshadowing The Mother being dead in 2030.

By: Kate

03.04.2014 @ 3:37 AM

I actually didn’t catch that the mother was/would be/could be dead. I just researched the last few minutes and I do see it, but I think dead is a pretty big conclusion.

A friend of mine was just diagnosed with cancer, and that is pretty much how she and her husband are dealing with things now. She has a pretty good chance of survival, but still.

I think this is just another example of the show runners over-plotting. I’ll save my ire for the resolution of the story.

In the meantime, I enjoyed the rest of the episode. We know robin does eventually freak out. The swarly callback was lovely. It’s nice robin’s sister isn’t dead from a random bear attack, and it’s always good to see Chris Kittan getting some work.

I guess I’m just not that invested.

By: GRubi User

03.04.2014 @ 5:06 AM

It’s never good to see Chris Kattan get work. There’s a reason we haven’t seen him anywhere since SNL. He wasn’t funny.

By: Brendan Noel

03.04.2014 @ 11:30 AM

He was mostly wasted as a regular on “The Middle” for a couple years. Eventually they realized they didn’t have enough for him to do, and then the Patricia Heaton character lost her job so there was no reason to see him anymore.

By: jenfullmoon

03.04.2014 @ 6:59 PM

I concur with the other respondents that lord, Chris Kattan is not good. But in this case, he’s supposed to be awful, so I guess it works?

By: GRubi User

03.04.2014 @ 7:05 PM

Jenfullmoon, I suppose that’s true. Only when the person “acting” is supposed to be bad is Chris Kattan actually acceptable casting.

By: Sarah

03.04.2014 @ 3:40 AM

Wow. I haven’t watched this season much (or last season at all), except for the first two episodes and How Your Mother Met Me, but I’ve kept up with your posts, Alan.
This was a show that gave me immense pleasure for many years, led to my rediscovery if Neil Patrick Harris post-Doogie Howser days, and discovery of Jason Segal and Cobie Smulders, both of whom I think are very talented. It was a tough decision to stop watching (or, as tough as a decision like that can be) but ultimately I was glad I did so, because I wanted to still like the above actors.

In its heyday (seasons 1-4 for me) this was my favorite show on TV, so original, and so fun.

All that said: Even after not watching regularly for 2 years, I was gutted to see what happened in this episode. How on EARTH could they think this is a good idea? Sure, as you say, the show has had its darker moments, but it is ultimately a show about hope, romance, and love. Not that short romances don’t have those ingredients but…really guys? That’s how you want your legacy to end?

Now I am more glad than ever I stopped watching. I’ll get my NPH fix in June when I see him in Hedwig.

By: StephenH2OMan

03.04.2014 @ 3:47 AM

Don’t worry, in the last episode it’s revealed that Ted is actually Max and this has been purgatory all along.

By: Matt

03.04.2014 @ 3:49 AM

It’s possible that I am completely off, but I took it to mean that Ted was upset because his own mother didn’t come to his wedding. So the plot reveal, to me, was that Ted’s mother passes away before he gets married.

By: alynch

03.04.2014 @ 4:22 AM

I’ve heard that theory tossed around. The major problem with it is in the context of that conversation, it makes The Mother seem pretty horrible for saying it. The fact that upon seeing his reaction, she doesn’t immediately follow it up with an “Oh my God Ted, I’m so sorry!” would also seem to indicate it’s not the case.

By: GRubi User

03.04.2014 @ 7:02 AM

Yeah, this was my though too. I was thinking to myself “Why isn’t the mothering apologizing for bringing up a bad memory?”

By: Chris

03.04.2014 @ 4:19 PM

The problem I have with that is it misses other things throughout the rest of the episode that allude to the mother being dead. There was the moment where they talk about how when you face a heavy moment, you just don’t address it, and then Ted and the Mother kind of sit there quietly. There’s also the mother telling Ted “I worry about you” and urging him to keep living forward. Actually, THAT was the instance that made me turn to my wife and go “there going to do it…the mother’s dead. This is stupid.”

By: ed w

03.04.2014 @ 3:50 AM

I’m fine with it but then again once I realized a few years ago that this series was heading towards a depressing ending I pulled back and only dip in now and then like tonight.

By: alynch

03.04.2014 @ 3:56 AM

You know, maybe I’d feel differently if I was a longtime viewer and this weren’t the first season that I’ve watched with any regularity, but I’m kind of on board with the show building to an unhappy ending.

More than any other genre, sitcoms (especially relationship driven ones) tend to be slaves to the “And everyone ended up just fine” style ending. Even the British version of The Office backtracked to happy endings for everyone in the Christmas special. The idea of a show based around meeting The Mother ending with The Mother dying after about ten years of marriage strikes me as an opportunity to do something different. Of course they could bungle the execution, but I don’t object to it on a purely plot level.

By: ted flint

03.04.2014 @ 3:59 AM

I guess I thought they were talking bout Ted’s mother missing thier wedding…

By: Brian

03.04.2014 @ 4:07 AM

I didn’t even take that into account. I thought the implication was that Ted’s mother died before they were able to get married.

By: TheFool

03.04.2014 @ 4:10 AM

Don’t forget about the comment The Mother makes when the gang realizes this could be their last day together for quite a while…something on the order of, “When something like this happens, sometimes there’s nothing you can say, and you just have to enjoy the moments together you have.” Connect that with the flashforward scene of them together without the kids of a romantic weekend, and that sure seems like foreshadowing of bad news for The Mother to me…

By: Jeff

03.04.2014 @ 5:05 AM

It also makes sense that they gave The Mother a great love who died too young before Ted, so when Ted relinks with Robin in 2030, they know she is happy with best boyfriend who died too soon.

By: CB

03.04.2014 @ 4:13 AM

Yeah, what Alan said. I am still hoping for another 11th-hour twist in which Ted and the Mother live happily ever after…I’ll take cheesy misdirection over such a colossal narrative misstep any day!

And whether the Mother lives or dies, I REALLY hope Ted does not end up with Robin! For me, the whole charm of HIMYM in its early seasons was the fact that Ted was chasing a girl we knew he was definitely not going to end up with! I thought it was a funny, subversive take on the average rom-com, and so I have never been a Ted/Robin shipper (despite the fact that they had great chemistry in seasons 1-2).

The irony is that I actually liked this episode apart from the dire Mother-related hints. I was pleased that the show remembered Robin’s sister’s existence (last week I was like, why isn’t she a bridesmaid?). The “Wedding Bride Too” stuff amused me, as did Barney’s freakout over his wedding suit. Lily was being a crazy control freak — why shouldn’t Robin be calm and laid-back about her wedding? — but then again, she’s been like that for several seasons. So I would have called this a strong episode…except that it’s now pointing towards an ending that renders the whole series completely unsatisfying.

By: Karl

03.04.2014 @ 4:13 AM

It’s too obvious The Mother dies. They tipped it too far.

Theory: Robyn dies. This whole story started with dating Robyn. Ted has been hung up on Robyn so long. Too long. The bulk of this story has been about the gang and Ted instead of The Mother. Meaning, Ted is reminiscing about the critical role Robyn played in his love story. Perhaps she will even play the most important role in him meeting The Mother in the rain. But this is all leading up to Robyn’s funeral, which is why they could film it back in season one and never need to veer off course. However convoluted the tale, this is all how your Aunt Robyn is responsible for them meeting.

And that comment about a mother missing her daughter’s wedding? Maybe tears over missing Robyn and glad her mom got to be there. Or maybe Barney and Robyn adopted a girl who now won’t have a mother at her wedding.

By: Jeff

03.04.2014 @ 5:08 AM

I hope you are right, but reading this chat board leads me to believe most folks aren’t familiar with the long time theory about the dead Mother. I told this theory to someone last year who said they were a massive fan and they thought it was ridiculous.

By: smreyno

03.04.2014 @ 4:21 AM

Ugh

By: Jared K

03.04.2014 @ 4:28 PM

Alan may have outlined all of the reasons this show is circling the drain in 1400 well-written words, but really, those three letters say it all.

By: Colin

03.04.2014 @ 4:23 AM

It’s not going to end with the Mother having passed away. That would go completely against the makeup of the show, and although they’ve lost the direction of the story at times I don’t think they’ve lost the plot ala ‘Lost’. It wouldn’t make sense with this episode either, it would mean that the shot of Ted breaking up was actually Ted the narrator breaking into that moment with the Mother in 2024 (since obviously 2024 Ted doesn’t know the Mother will die in the future) and there wasn’t any other indication of that. It was an odd moment, but I’m betting they’re setting something else up about Barney and Robin’s wedding. They’ve spent too much time implying meeting the Mother will be a triumphant moment to go back now.

And if they used the Shins to set up some glowing magic cave stuff, then:

Its implied that 2024 Mother and Ted know the Mother has some sort of terminal illness and thus knows her death is imminent. At least thats how I read it.

By: LJA

03.04.2014 @ 7:25 AM

Jeff is correct. Ted meets the mother in 2014. In 2024 – 10 years later – they have 2 kids and we see them on this weekend getaway clearly dealing with the fact the mother is ill.

The only thing I don’t agree with is Alan’s supposition that he’s with Robin in 2030. I didn’t see any hints about that.

This “twist” has been a long held theory since early seasons. There’s always been a feeling – at least to me – that the kids don’t know their mother very well. Tonight’s episode is he first actual concrete support of that theory.

By: NJMark

03.04.2014 @ 4:35 AM

From the beginning, I’ve been of the opinion that they are most certainly NOT “planting clues” such that we’d be able to “figure out” what’s going to happen if only we’d carefully look them over like it’s the cover of the Sgt. Pepper album.

If “it’s SO obvious the mother is dead” (“clue” here and “clue” there), then that’s not where they’re going with this. With everything being kept secret, I don’t believe they’re trying to help us figure it out before the end.

As for Robin, the pilot episode ends with “and that’s how I met your AUNT Robin,” so she’s not the step-mother. Plus, Robin never has kids, and doesn’t want kids, and that includes someone else’s kids… my other long-held opinion that series’ resolution will not rely on semantics. (Wasn’t Robin supposed to have become a Christiane Amanpour-type globetrotting reporter?)

Also, have ANY fan theories come to pass yet? I recall it being “obvious” that the mother was Barney’s sister, and we know how that turned out.

By: HistoryofMatt

03.04.2014 @ 4:42 AM

Y’all,

I know most of us are pissed, but am I wrong, or was that Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite, Blades of Glory) playing “Narshall” in The Wedding Bride, Too?

By: Daniel

03.04.2014 @ 4:51 AM

Has anybody given thought that maybe Ted’s crying about his mom not being there? Ted’s kids wouldn’t just brush off this story if it was about their mom.

By: BigTed

03.04.2014 @ 4:59 AM

I didn’t get that The Mother was dying, either. But that’s not what annoyed me about this episode.

It’s that we know Ted spent a decade pursuing romantic misadventures that all ended in heartbreak — and when he finally meets the woman of his dreams, he can’t think of anything to do except endlessly repeat stories about that period of his life. It sounds as if he really doesn’t appreciate the life he has with his wife and kids, even though that’s what he’s been waiting for all this time. He’d rather drone on about the women he dated before her. And for some reason The Mother is happy enough to humor him, but wouldn’t she really be sick of his tales of his college roommate and womanizer friend and ex-girlfriend by now?

In the past couple of episodes, it seemed as if the show was really building toward a happy, loving, fun relationship with The Mother that would be interesting to hear about. But if Ted spends all his time with her reminiscing about the past, it’s hard to see why it would matter if she survives or not. (And if it turns out that she’s actually a ghost or something, we might as well give up on TV now.)

By: Tiger Jean

03.06.2014 @ 1:17 PM

I take his story telling as wanting to share all of his adventures before her with the woman he loves. He wants her to know who he is, which is based on all of those little stories that lead up to him searching for her for years, through all the heartbreak and all the loneliness.

After 18 years of marriage, I doubt my husband could come up with a story from his past that I haven’t heard before. It’s not “reminiscing” it’s sharing. =)

By: Liz

03.04.2014 @ 5:06 AM

I personally think carter bays and craig thomas have the views right where they want them. I don’t think Ted would have such an awful life and depress his children about it..if anyone remembers, Ted has a younger sister..it’s possible that Ted’s mother passes away.

By: Jeff

03.04.2014 @ 5:16 AM

You are giving them a lot more credit than I am willing to at this point. I think they think Ted ending up with Robin after the dead Mother twist is genius Keyser Soze level, it also justifies their neverending nonsense with Ted still loving Robin and the fact that we have never seen an extended flashforward to 2020+ with Robin and Barney together despite knowing they get hitched for more than a season. That said I hope you are right.

By: dmstorm22

03.04.2014 @ 6:00 AM

They’ve never strayed that far from continuity before. Ted is not ending up with Robin. He calls her ‘Aunt Robin’ in the first episode of the show. The repeatedly told viewers that Ted is not ending up with Robin back in Season 2-4, when the ‘The Mother is dead and Robin is the Mother’ theory reached its height.

By: Jeff

03.04.2014 @ 6:04 AM

I remember them saying Robin is not The Mother, I do not remember them saying Robin is not with Ted in 2030. I could be wrong, also they could just be fibbing ala Lost. I mean if they don’t want to give away the ending what are they supposed to do other than lie.

By: jenny

03.04.2014 @ 5:12 AM

I feel like it’s a cheap cop out of an ending if the mother is dead. We’ve spent how many seasons with these characters? And have heard about how many of Ted’s ex-girlfriends? If the plan was to have the mother die, I could understand that IF we had a chance to really see the mother and hear stories about HER. For as much as this entire season is dragging us through one weekend, it also seems so rushed. We get little bits of the mother sprinkled in and just when we think we’re going to finally see Ted happy, the creators kill her. She’s barely been alive one season!

The only good thing about this episode is at least I know I’m not the only one who wants to drop kick this thing into oblivion.

By: Lance

03.04.2014 @ 5:13 AM

I don’t think the mother dies. My theory is that it is actually Ted who is sick in 2024. When he breaks down about a mother missing a wedding it is because it also applies to a father who won’t be walking his daughter down the aisle. In the end though Ted makes a miraculous recovery but his voice is forever changed and this is how they explain the Bob Saget narrator voice.

By: Karl

03.04.2014 @ 5:13 AM

Really, guys. I think I’m right here. It’s Robyn who dies in 2030. The next time the gang is all together is her funeral. We have seen all non-Ted gang members meet The Mother except Robyn. Robyn kicks off the whole series and sets him on the path to meeting The Mother, it’s her wedding where he meets her, and somehow we will see she has a direct hand in their meeting when she finally does meet The Mother. Why else focus so much of this story on Robyn? Because the story of Ted and Robyn is the story of how Ted met The Mother?

Does it retroactively fix complaints with the poor quality of the show lately? Or the bad idea of Robyn and Barney? Or any of that? No. But it makes more sense than this whole thing leading to The Mother being dead.

By: Maggie

03.04.2014 @ 5:26 AM

Is it wrong that I have less of a problem with Robyn dying than the mother?

By: S

03.04.2014 @ 5:28 AM

FYI it’s Robin, not Robyn. She’s a Canadian pop star, not a Swedish one

By: Skye

03.04.2014 @ 5:47 AM

Ohhh, Yobin.

By: Ron

03.04.2014 @ 5:24 AM

In some respects, this “ending” has long been in the making. I’m not yet convinced that they will go down the route of Robin ending up with Barney, though (more because that Barney is the one true character that has shown growth through the years, despite their continued efforts to try and stop said growth. It would be a thorough letdown that a character that actually developed and matured would not get the happy ending that he should get). I think that would be a gross mistake.

If I reframe the show a bit, I can sort of see where this show is less about the Mother and more about a definition of a “Modern Family” – a family built on relationships and friendships through the years, but that the Mother became such a burden on the show that Bays and Thomas just didn’t know a good way out. It would be a crummy rationalization, but the reality of it is that this show has long been about “Friends”.

My hunch is that this show is going to end with the gang back in the bar, perhaps after the Mother’s funeral, celebrating their past, with Robin and Barney going off on some excursion, Marshall and Lily headed home, and with Ted going home to tell this story to the kids. Thus, this show would be that window of a night, in some respects. Here’s hoping I’m wrong, but if not, so be it. I learned from Lost’s terrible ending that, you can’t have the show you want, as it’s the showrunner’s vision, and I’ve had enough fun through the years.

By: Jeff

03.04.2014 @ 5:29 AM

I am in kind of a state of paralysis here with this reveal, having believed in the theory for years but never thought they would really do it. I would love an Alan-Dan podcast rant as just a little bit of catharsis. It seems pretty clear to me the Mother has a terminal illness in 2024 and is definitely going to die and they are both aware of it, which is why Ted cries. The Ted’s mother dying theory doesn’t make any sense because why would they randomly kill her off in a flashback in the last 5 episodes, they would have to rush through it and Ted’s emotions in a really cheap way.

The Mother being dead and Robin and Ted marry now makes all the nonsense Ted never getting over Robin bits seem relevant. It is also why we haven’t seen a future Robin and Barney together after 2016 nor do we hear any stories about them together. It also pays of the bet between Marshall and Lilly that Ted and Robin will end up together in the future. As far as Ted calling her Aunt Robin to his kids, that totally makes sense, older teenagers are not going to call their dad’s new wife Mom when they have known her for years as a family friend.

I believe there is also a story about Josh Radnor crying when they shot the finale which makes sense if they are killing Christina.

By: Lazycrockett

03.04.2014 @ 6:44 AM

Not to be harsh but why would Josh be crying over an actress/character that he has spent only snippet’s with?

By: Adam

03.04.2014 @ 8:40 PM

I think it is much more likely that he was crying because they make several hundred thousands of dollars per episode and he’s the least likely of the five main actors to do anything beyond this show.

By: M

03.04.2014 @ 5:37 AM

Maybe I’m old fashioned but I think a comedy should be a comedy and not end on a downer. I’m utterly astonished this could be the payoff for watching all these years. If someone has to die, why can’t it be Ted? At least he’s worn out his welcome (as well as the show). But I believe he was in flash forwards. D**n!

By: Josh

03.04.2014 @ 5:39 AM

Lol I was shocked they remembered Lucy Hale as Robin’s sister

By: Josh

03.04.2014 @ 5:41 AM

Lol I was shocked they remembered Lucy Hale was Robin’s sister since that was the first time we’ve seen her since season2

By: jenfullmoon

03.04.2014 @ 7:25 PM

I thought she was a grown-up Penny when she came on screen and was all “what the hell?” for a minute.

By: ekstraextra

03.04.2014 @ 5:53 AM

I’ve been watching from the beginning, and, eh, I’m fine with it. I don’t need a happily ever after.